Cougar Support Den
Michaela Carandang
she/Her
Class of
2020
Hello! My name is Michaela (pronounced as Mikayla) and I am currently attending my last year of community college while working full time as an Administrative Assistant :)
If you could give your high school self a piece of advice, what would it be?
It would be to take more college courses at my local community college and to take SVCTE earlier. As a high school student, you are able to dual enroll for a limit of 1-3 classes in a community college per semester/quarter FOR FREE. You will only need to purchase materials such as books. I personally believe this is better than an AP class since you will only need to pass one semester of that class for it to be accepted (talk to your counselor for more info). SVCTE is AMAZING since they have various courses (Veterinary, Animation, Firefighter, Mechatronics) that all allow you to get hands in experience on a certain career. Personally, I went for Sports Medicine since I played basketball. This helped me to create a workout regimen, understand my body more, and prevent any injuries on court. Many of my friends, including myself enjoyed the classes (take note that these are highly compact and talk to your counselor for more info). A non-educational advice for high school me would to have a high yields savings account. By having money in this account, it will keep increasing based off of the percentage of interest the bank sets it as. (Start early and save more)
Did you have any goals that pushed you throughout high school? How did you approach those? Are you still pursuing them now that you're out of high school? If not, why?
My goal for high school was simply to experience different classes to gain different experiences. Since I couldn’t work, I relied on taking various classes such as Psychology, Forensics, and Sports Medicine(SVCTE) to help me learn what I like to do. This ties in with my career because I didn’t know what I wanted to be in the future. After graduating, I initially wanted to be a Psychologist and to help with Child Development or a Physical Therapist, but that changed when I got my first job as a receptionist in a manufacturing company. Later I was promoted to Inside Sales and changed my major into Business Administration.
What experience had the greatest impact on you at EVHS?
Definitely my teachers (shout out to Ms. Kuch, Mr. Yu, and Ms. Jordan). SVCTE (sports medicine) has also allowed me to find my closest friends and will always be my favorite class. All these together helped me to get through high school and enjoy it a little bit more.
Have you kept some relationships with the people you were with in high school?
Definitely! I actively talk to about 5 people from high school and are my closest friends who knows about my experience in and out of high school. We all are studying different areas of education (Business, Fashion, Nursing, Film and Media) and attend different schools (SJSU, De Anza, SJDC, CSUN). This helps us to expand our knowledge with one another as well as networking.
Do you still live in San Jose? Why or why not?
No. I moved out to be a little bit more independent and if I went back in time, I would make the same choice. Moving out has helped me to find such a great company I’m currently with and be able to learn how to manage my own finances, reach out to new friends, and so much more. After graduating from my current community college, I plan to move to which ever University I get accepted into.
What was your primary academic/extracurricular focus in high school?
My primary extracurricular would be basketball. Since I moved to EVHS during my sophomore year, I only played for 3 years. I absolutely love my coach (who is no longer there). I participated in a few clubs (Interact etc) and took part in school events (powederpuff) which was fun for a short time LOL.
Are you in college? If so, which college and what major? Are you working? If so, where? If you're not in either of these, what are you doing now?
Yes. I’m currently attending SJDC (San Joaquin Delta College) is Stockton, CA. My current major is Business Administration focusing on Finance and Information Systems. I’m currently working in the corporate office of a Mental Health service provider, Crestwood Behavioral Health, and it has been amazing! I specifically work in the Fianance and Accounting department and have a future option to work as an accountant while I further my education. It’s not a well known company, but we continue to grow with the number of employees and expansion in many different areas in California.